Monday, August 25, 2014

Make-up Monday: Etude House Collagen Eye Patches

I suffer from bags under my eyes. I always have. Even in high school, I was constantly being asked if I was tired. I wasn't but what I was tired of was genetics giving me the shaft with the transparent, often puffy sacks beneath my eyes. I have tried everything you can imagine to make these bags disappear. From ice to hemorrhoid cream, to tea bags and even prayer, I have tried it all. So when I found out about the Collagen Eye Patches from Etude House. I was pretty pumped. I mean what could it hurt?

How Do They Work?

The patches contain collagen, vitamin A, Vitamin E and green tea extract. The collagen is there to plump the skin, the vitamins are there to sooth and moisturize and the caffeine is there to lightly tighten the skin.

Each pouch contain two under eye patches. This means they are perfect for travel and for sharing. The patches are pretty slimy when you first take them out of the package. They also have a weird plastic backing to keep them from sticking to one another. Do not forget to take that off. That plastic liner is a little to rough for the under-eye area if you ask me.

Then you just need to wait 10 - 20 minutes while the patches work their magic. I would recommend not letting them dry completely. Mine didn't even at 20 minutes but it is easy to forget. And pulling the dried up patches off the delicate skin beneath your eyes could result in redness or even swelling.

They are really cooling when you put them on. They feel a lot like a really thinly sliced cucumber. The light fragrance is crisp and is mellow enough to not cause any tears.

Did I Like Them?

Yes and no. I can tell that they are cooling and moisturizing, but after two weeks I really never seen a visual difference. I think I was more affected by the mere idea that collagen was being placed atop my baggy under-lids. They made me feel better about them. Like I was at least trying to do something for them.

See if you can tell a difference in the pictures below.

Be kind, I am completely bare-faced. Here is my before, notice my saggy bags in all their crepey glory.

The patches do provide a great amount of coverage over the entire area. They stay in place really well too. One morning before work, I was able to curl my hair while I had these on.

The after.. you can tell my skin is softer, with less lines and wrinkles. No noticeable tightening has occurred. Putting the patches in the fridge does help with under eye swelling. At least for me.

What Do Others Think?

I passed the patches out ot my friends to get their reactions. They love being beauty guinea-pigs.

Taylor:

One piece of advice I will give you is to not eat with them on. I was eating cereal and they were sliding all over the place! They are great for just chilling. My skin was noticeably more moisturized but I never saw a difference in tightening or firmness.

Regina:

As soon as I applied them they were cooling:) I left them on for 20 minutes and after removing them I felt like my my under eye area were already hydrated and lifted.